Cider and apples are commonly cooked with pork, but they also go well with lamb in this great winter stew.

Ingredients

• 1.5 kilogram lamb shoulder chops, trimmed
• 2 onions, peeled and cut into wedges
• 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed, peeled and sliced
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups cider
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 apples, cored and thickly sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1½ tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
2. Heat a dash of oil in a heavy-based frying pan; brown lamb chops on both sides. Reduce the heat and gently cook the onion wedges, celery and garlic until softened but not brown. Layer the lamb and vegetables in a casserole.
3. Add a little extra oil or butter to the residual oil in the pan, stir in the flour and cook until frothy. Gradually add the cider and chicken stock, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens, before pouring over the lamb and covering the casserole.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. When almost cooked, gently pan-fry the apple slices in butter until golden.
5. Add apple slices and rosemary to the casserole. Cook a further 10 minutes. Serve hot with Winter Chocolate Mash (see recipe on our website)